Archives for April 2015

I don’t think you’ll see this kind of pasta dish in Italy. Italians don’t generally eat cold pasta. But we love them here in the U.S. Especially in summer. They’re easy, versatile, portable and the only thing you have to cook is the pasta itself. And oh, I have an ulterior motive. My garden is completely over-run with dill. It has been a massive invasion. I expect to see it coming up through my living room carpet one morning. So this dish is a particularly delicious way to use up some of my fresh, and menacing, dill. And let’s face it, dill really wakes up a dish!

I know, I know…this recipe looks like someone didn’t plan aheee-aaad! And would you want to eat a dish where the asparagus spears are trying to escape? Well, yes, because it’s delicious. And has an unusual presentation. There are a lot of Italian recipes where food is rolled up with other food stuffed inside. The Italians call these bundles involtini which means “little bundles” in Italian. Chicken involtini is a simple dish–just five ingredients.

I love this lemon crostata for its simplicity. You can if you want dress it up with blueberries or any other kind of fruit but I love it best the way it’s made here: unadorned and sweet with a lemony-tang. I don’t know about you, but I love recipes that feature lemons. The almighty lemon. Among the finest ingredients in the world. Before we get to this recipe I’m going to tell you (briefly) how the lemon, so versatile and healthy, showed up on Italy’s doorstep centuries ago?

My favorite café in Florence is Gilli, situated in Piazza della Repubblica. The café was founded in 1733 as a confectionary shop and still sells wonderful pastries. It’s a great and elegant place for a morning cappuccino and cornetto, a light lunch or people watching later in the day over an aperitivo. It is not cheap. But it is so wonderful to sit here and watch humanity stroll by. Especially on a sunny day.

I love sitting here. This is a picture of the back of one of the café’s outdoor chairs.

This vintage picture is so evocative, even though this young woman looks distinctly uncomfortable.

It’s the front picture of Gilli’s menu. Here’s the full menu cover. And a few lunch items inside. I ordered the pici sienese.

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Hi. I'm Barbara Francis and I hope you like authentic Italian food as much as I do. It's simple, fresh, seasonal. What's not to like? And it's part of my heritage. So join me in the kitchen of Italian Food Made Simple. Just step right over the dog, she won't move even if you ask her.